4 New Social Features for Small to Mid-Size Businesses

4 New Social Features for Small to Mid-Size Businesses

You’re pretty scrappy with your advertising budget so you’re putting free social platforms to work for your small to mid-size company. As an agency that deals with many local and regional brands, we work hard to drive the most creative social engagement on an efficient budget. That’s why we sorted through the newest features on the biggest social platforms to prioritize which ones you should start using today.

Pay to Play with Boosted Posts

The big appeal of social media for many small to mid-size businesses is the fact that it’s free. You write a post on your page and it’s sent out for the world to see. Except it’s not. A few studies published in the last year point out that organic reach, the number of people who organically see any given Facebook post, is dramatically declining. The research studied large media companies but it points to issues that are affecting all brands and businesses. As the feed algorithms continue to change, organic content from brands is continually suppressed in favor of content from users since that’s usually what the average person prefers to see. If you want your content on Facebook and Instagram to be noticed or engaged with, it’s time to put some money behind your social programs in order to place ads and boost posts.

We’ve had success in many of our clients social programs by using the method described in this video.

Stories on Instagram

Snapchat-style sharing is a popular way for people to connect but companies, especially smaller businesses, had a hard time creating content and building a following. Instagram Stories started as a Snapchat knockoff but has grown into itself over the past year as a legitimate tool for businesses. Companies can engage with their existing follower base in a more interactive way – showing how a product works, sharing blog posts as mini-articles or even going live at an event or announcement.

Charity Donations on Facebook

You can now donate directly to your favorite charity on the largest social network in the world. This is good news for nonprofits to encourage donations without requiring potential donors to leave the platform to do so. Just find out if your nonprofit is eligible then add a donate button to your homepage.

Expanded Character Limit on Twitter

While we wait for the platform-wide rollout, several top influencers are experimenting with Twitter’s new 280-character limit on tweets, doubling the previous 140-character limit. This stands to be a useful business feature but a word to the wise: just because you have more room doesn’t mean you should use it. Continue to choose your words wisely.

BONUS TIP:Build Your Social Presence Thoughtfully

You don’t have to be everywhere in order to be successful. As you build your company’s online presence, be conscious of the time and money it takes to do these things well. To be honest, you probably need a Facebook page. But from there, pick platforms where you can efficiently reach your target audience. Here’s a cheat sheet on a few platform demographics. Don’t waste your energy by spreading your content too thin.

There’s a lot you can get done on your own with social media. But if you’re looking to up your game with a social strategy built by professionals, let’s get in touch.